"What is that?!"

I received my first negative comment today by a family member. My cousin saw my pinned hair and asked me "what did you do to your hair?". Silly question to which I did not answer and surprisingly did not get offended by... And that is how far I have come since the beginning of my natural hair journey. Three years ago I would have probably been so upset about it, telling my boyfriend how ugly I felt and looked, that I would have certainly ended up questioning myself and my decision to loc.
Today, I was Ms. Crown of Hair, the strong woman who carries her head proudly regardless of the comments or the weird looks. I was the black woman who viewed her God-given Crown as a blessing instead of a mane waiting to be tamed. I was ME!!!
Now, compare that to being complimented by two brothers withing one block... Yes, two black men stopped to look at me, and politely tell me how beautiful they thought I was two days ago. Nothing could have made me feel better...except for my boyfriend's unconditional admiration for my hair even when I feel like it looks like a bunch of worms.